Kerf-cutting machine



Aug. 11, 1942. T.E. PRAY KERF CUTTING MACHINE Filed may 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l mysn-ron 57220155 Aug. 11, 1942. "r. E. PRAY KERF CUTTING MACHINE Filed May 12, 1941 s Shee ts-Sheet 2 IN VINTOR msEP/vy C(MA, PM

ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1942.

T. E. PRAY KER F CUTTING MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet s Filed May 12, 1941 WW. 4, m m w w I I m 00 fi R \WM Patented Aug. 11, 1942 KERF-CUTTING MACHINE Thomas E. Pray, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 12, 1941, Serial No. 393,018

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in kerfcutting machines of the room and pillar type.

Shaker conveyers with a pick-up shovel or duckbill on the forward end of the pan line are quite extensively used in picking up mined coal at the working face of a mine and conveying it to an entry and loading it onto mine cars or the like. In loading with the duckbill," the shovel is swung in an arcuate path across the coal face about a fixed point, .and at the same time is extended or retracted with respect to the working face. The gathering operation is accordingly greatly facilitated where the coal is broken along an arcuate face, since the pick-up shovel may more readily pick up material with a minimum amount of manipulation.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved mining machine of the room and pillar type, of a simpler construction than formerly and particularly adapted for conveyer mining with a duckbill, which is so arranged that it may be controlled in a simple manner to cut an arcuate kerf along the ground.

-A more specific object of my invention is to provide a kerf-cutting machine of the class described with a means for controlling the path of movement of the machine during cutting, which includes a controlling arm extending rearwardly from the kerf-cutting machine and adapted to be held adjacent its free end, for movement about a fixed point. I

Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the machine cutting an arcuate face in a mine wall;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1,. illustrating one method of sumping the cutter bar into the'coal face;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1, illustrating the method of manipulating the machine to continue the cutting of an arcuate face in a mine wall, after the cutter bar has been sumped in the coal, in the manner shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the rear portion of a mining machine constructed in accordance with my invention, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in horizontal section, in order to illustrate certain details thereof;

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the rear portion of the mining machine, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in substantially longitudinal section;

Figure 6 is a rear end view of the mining machine, with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in substantially transverse section;

Figure '7 is a front end view of the mining machine, with the cutter bar shown in transverse section, in order to illustrate certain details of the sumping jack; and

Figure 8 is a plan view of the forward part of the cutter bar, illustrating the position of the sumping jack in the slot of the bar and the connection of the feed rope thereto.

Referring now to the details of the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, a kerf-cutting machine In of a well known construction is provided. Said kerf-cutting machine comprises a main frame ll having a cutter bar I2 projecting forwardly therefrom. Said cutter bar has a cutter chain l3 driven thereabout and said chain moves in a channel formed between the underportion of said main frame and the bottom of an underframe l5, which supports said main frame above the ground, to a point adjacent the rear end of said underframe, for discharging the cuttings therefrom.

The cutter chain I3 is driven from a cutter chain sprocket It, disposed adjacent the rear end of the machine and freely mounted on the lower end of a vertical shaft ll. A suitable jaw clutch, generally indicated by reference character I8, is provided to selectively connect said cutter chain drive sprocket with the hub of a bevel gear IQ, for driving said sprocket from said bevel gear. A bevel pinion 29, on a longitudinally extending shaft 2|, meshes with and drives said bevel gear. Said intermediate shaft is driven from the rear end of a motor 23 by means of a spur gear train generally indicated in Figure 4 by reference character 24.

A usual type of flexible feeding means is provided for feeding the mining machine across the coal face. Said flexible feeding means, as herein shown, comprises a winding drum 25 having a flexible feeding member 26 adapted to be wound thereon. Said winding drum is mounted on said main frame, for rotation with respect thereto about a transverse axis. The drive to said winding drum from the intermediate shaft 2! includes a worm and worm gear drive generally indicated by reference character 21, a plural speed 5 frictionally controlled, planetary geared reduc tion device 28, and a spur gear 29 adapted to be selectively driven therefrom at either a high or low frictionally controlled speed. Said spur gear meshes with an internal gear 38, which is selectively connected with said drum by means of a pin clutch generally indicated by reference character 3|. Said planetary and the drive from said worm to said winding drum through said planetary are of a well known form, so need not herein be shown or described further.

Referring now in particular to the novel means for controlling the path of movement of the machine, during cutting across a coal face, a control arm 33 is provided. Said arm projects rearwardly from said kerf-cutting machine, adjacent one side thereof. As herein shown, said arm is of a substantially L-shaped formation and the vertical leg of the L extends along the inner side of and is detachably secured to one side wall of the under frame l5, by means of nuts and bolts 34, 34. An abutting plate 34a is mounted on the underside of said arm and abuts the rear end of the underframe l5, and a guiding clip 34b is secured to the outer side of said arm and extends along the outer side of said underframe. Said arm may be of any desired length, depending upon the radius of the arc it is desired to cut, and is provided with a rear apertured portion 35 through which a holding jack 36 is adapted to extend. Said holding jack may be of any well known construction, and is herein shown as being a usual form of screw jack adapted to be interposed between a mine floor and roof. A collar 31 is mounted on said jack, above said arm, to limit upward movement of said arm with respect to said jack.

Thus, when said arm is mounted on said jack and said jack is fixedly mounted between the mine roof and floor, the flexible feeding member 26 may swing the entire kerf-cutting machine about said jack and move the forward end of said cutter bar in a fixed path, for cutting an arcuate kerf, as isillustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

In order to facilitate the sumping operation, a sumping jack 4!] is provided, which is adapted to fit in and slidably engage a slot 4|, extending along the cutter bar. Said jack is adapted to be secured between the mine roof and floor and form a slidable guide for said cutter bar. A connecting member 42 is secured to said jack, just above the cutter bar and is adapted to have the free end of the flexible feeding member 26 detachably secured thereto. In sumping, said flexible feeding member may extend around a sheave 43 at the forward left-hand corner of said machine and inwardly around a sheave 44 at the forward central portion of said machine, and forwardly therefrom to the connecting member 42 to which it is connected.

With machines of the type herein disclosed, the path of movement of the rear end of the machine, during cutting across a face, is confined to a relatively short fixed path and the machine itself is sliding along the ground. With this arrangement the cuttings cannot clear themselves from the machining and consequently pile up at one point to such an extent that it is difiicult, if not impossible, to shovel them away by hand. Moreover, if the cuttings are not cleared from the path of the cutter chain, the chain will pull them back into the kerf, thus clogging the cutter chain and materially reducing the efiiciency of the machine. I have accordingly provided, as a further advantage, a cuttings discharge means, to remove the slack from the path of the cutter chain. Said cuttings discharge means is herein shown as being an inclined conveyer 45, similar to that illustrated in my prior application Serial No. 363,394, filed October 30, 1940. Said inclined conveyer is driven from the rear end of the shaft 2| by means of a universal drive shaft 41, in a manner which will not be described herein, since it is clearly shown and described in my aforementioned prior application. Said shaft drives a pair of spaced endless chains 58, 48 having spaced flights 49, 49 connected therebetween, upwardly along an inclined bottom pan 53 of an inclined conveyer frame member 5!. Said conveyer frame member is provided, at its forward end, with downwardly opening slotted portions 55, 55, engaging an upstanding rear portion 56 of said main frame, and is held in position by means of a tie rod 51. The forward portion of said conveyer frame extends within the cuttings discharge passageway, closely adjacent the cutter chain I 3 as it rounds its drive sprocket It, to receive the cuttings discharged by said cutter chain. Said cuttings discharge conveyer may be arranged to discharge the cuttings collected by said cutter chain into a shovel 53 on the forward end of a shaker conveyer 59, as is illustrated in Figure 1.

When the flexible feeding member 26 is connected to the connecting member 42 on the sumping jack 49, and power is applied to the winding drum 25, to wind in said flexible feeding member, said sumping jack, extending through the slot 4! and being secured in position between the mine roof and floor, will guide the cutter bar !2 to cut a relatively straight rib (see Figure 2) After the sumping operation, said sumping jack may be removed from the slot 4| and said flexible feeding member may be trained about a guide sheave 60, on the left-hand side of the machine, and attached at its free end to a jack 5|, positioned near the center of the working place. Upon the application of power to said winding drum, said flexible feeding member will pivot the rear end of the machine about the forward end of the cutter bar to a position somewhat similar to that shown by broken lines in Figure 3. When the machine is in this position, the jack 3%, engaging the apertured portion 35 of the arm 33, may be set in position between the mine floor and roof, and said flexible feeding member may be trained around the guide sheave 66, to a point adjacent the far corner of the room and attached to said jack, which has been reset. Power may then be applied to said winding drum, to cause said flexible feeding member to pivot the machine about the jack 3t, and to feed said cutter bar to cut an arcuate kerf in the coal face. After this kerf has been cut to the desired width, the cutter bar may then be withdrawn in a usual manner, preferably with the sumping jack 40 again positioned in the slot 4|, to form a guide for said cutter bar while it is being withdrawn.

In the cutting operation shown in Figure 1, the use of the sumping jack 40 is dispensed with and the holding jack 36 is positioned at substantially the center of the working place, to form a pivotal point for the control arm 33. At the beginning of the cutting operation, the cutter bar and mining machine are positioned to extend across the workingplace. The machine may then be pivoted about the axis of connection of said control arm to said sumping jack, by training the flexible feeding member 26 about the sheave 6B and about a jack 62, and by connecting the free end of said flexible feeding memher to a jack 63 interposed between the mine roof and floor. The position of said jacks 62 and 63 may be changed from time to time as the cutting operation progresses.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting my invention to the specific embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a kerf-cutting machine, a main frame, a motor mounted therein, a cutter bar projecting from said main frame and having a cutter chain guided for orbital movement thereabout, said cutter bar extending beneath said motor and the space beneath said motor forming a cuttings passageway for the discharge of cuttings by said main frame, a winding drum driven from the rear end of said motor, a flexible feeding member adapted to be wound on said winding drum, for feeding said cutter bar and chain across a coal face, means for controlling the path of movement of said cutter bar across a coal face including a jack adapted to be interposed between a mine roof and floor and a controlling arm projecting rearwardly from said main frame and having pivotal .connection with said jack,

for controlling movement of said machine about said jack, and a cuttings removing device extending inwardly of the rear end of said cuttings passageway, for removing the cuttings from the path of said cutter chain during movement of the machine about said jack.

2. In a kerf-cutting machine, a main frame, a motor mounted thereon, a forwardly projecting cutter .bar having a cutter chain guided for orbital movement thereabout, said cutter bar extending beneath said motor and the space heneath said motor forming a cuttings passageway for the discharge of cuttings from the rear end of said main frame, a winding drum driven from said motor at a feeding speed, a flexible feeding member adapted to be wound on said winding drum, for feeding said cutter bar and chain across a coal face, means for controlling the path of movement of said cutter bar across a coal face including a jack adapted to be interposed between a mine roof and floor, a controlling arm projecting rearwardly from said main frame and having pivotal connection with said jack, for controlling movement of said machine about said jack, and means for removing the cuttings from the path of said cutter chain during movement of the machine about said jack including a cuttings removing conveyer extending into the discharge end of said cuttings passageway and having a discharge end disposed to the rear of said main frame.

3. In a kerf-cutting machine, a main frame, a motor on said main frame, a cutter bar extending beneath said motor and projecting from said main frame, a cutter chain guided for orbital movement about said cutter bar, a cuttings passageway beneath said motor, flexible feeding means for feeding said cutter bar across a .coal face, a cuttings removing conveyer extending into'the discharge end of said cuttings passage- 7 way, and means for controlling the path of movement of said cutter bar across the coal face and movement of the discharge end of said cuttings removing conveyer including a jack adapted to :be interposed between a mine roof and floor and a controlling arm projecting rearwardly from said main frame to one side of said cuttings passageway and cuttings removing conveyer and having pivotal connection with said jack.

THOMAS E. PRAY.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,292,970. August 11, 1 9h2.

moms E. PRAY.

It is hereby certified that error appeers in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, first column, lines 21 to 25, claim 1, for "cuttings by said main frame, a winding drum driven-from the rearend of said" read -cuttings from the rear end of said main frame, a winding drum driven by said-; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may confer to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of September, A. 1 1914.2.

- Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

